


Dimensions and Dragons

by my_gender_is_5_bucks_and_a_d20



Series: Alushtas [3]
Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game)
Genre: Coming through, Dimensions, Found Family, Gen, Rough Draft, WIP
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-12 18:34:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29389215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/my_gender_is_5_bucks_and_a_d20/pseuds/my_gender_is_5_bucks_and_a_d20
Summary: Our group of three travel north to find Mila's village, to tell them of her heroic deeds. However, it very quickly turns sideways.
Series: Alushtas [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2088585
Comments: 2
Kudos: 1





	1. Setting Things Up

**Author's Note:**

> Work In Progress  
> Rough Draft

**1**

The rain beat down, a steady downpour keeping us locked in our rooms. I sighed, looking out of my window. It was unlikely it would let up soon, and I was quite bored. We each had our own room, and, while I could read, or try to at least, the spellbook Mila had left behind, I couldn’t concentrate on it. We had left the previous day, and my mind was brought back to those last days in Calimport.

The day after the funeral, I had needed something to do, so I went to Durtor, the dwarven weaponsmith who specialized in magic. I had been inspired by a story from Earth, that of a demigod who fought monsters and giants. The dimension probably existed, somewhere out there in the vast omniverse, but we certainly hadn’t gone there. However, the  _ blade _ of the protagonist made me wonder. It had the ability to return to the pocket of its wielder, which made it pretty much impossible to lose. I also took inspiration from the legend of the god Thor, whose hammer returned to his hand at his will, so long as he was worthy. I sought to combine the two ideas to my greatest benefit, and so I returned to the smith.

I asked Durtor about such an enchantment, which he thought about. My idea was that my swords would come back to my hands at my will, except instantaneous. Thus, I dubbed it the Riptide enchantment.

He was intrigued about this idea, and he asked me to give him a few days to think about it. I hung around Calimport, keeping myself busy, not allowing myself to think of my late friend. After a couple of days, Durtor came to me, telling me he had found something like I wanted. He told me the magic would reside in a gem he’d insert into the hilt of the blade, which sounded like it would look  _ awesome _ . I had to get the gem, however, and so I ‘borrowed’ a pair of red, spherical gems from… a  _ friend _ . He wouldn’t’ve missed it, anyway.

He did some cool blacksmith work, inserting the jewels into the swords, and we did a ritual to bind them to me. To test how it worked, he had me throw my shortsword at a target.

“You do realize this kind of sword isn’t really intended to be thrown?” I said, jokingly.

“Of course I do, I wasn’t born last year,” he responded gruffly, “so just throw the sword.”

I muttered to myself, and looked at the target. It was probably 30 feet away, and I considered how I would throw it. Should I throw it like a dagger, or like a javelin? If I threw it like a dagger, should it have topspin, or backspin? Hmmmmm… 

“JUST THROW THE SWORD!!!” the angry dwarf yelled. I yelped, and threw it like a dagger, spinning awkwardly through the air. It hit the target and bounced off, landing on the ground. We waited a few moments, and I started to space out.

_ Hmmm, when are we gonna leave?  _ I thought. _ If we gather supplies for the remainder of today, possibly tomorrow morning as well, we could probably leave day after tomorrow, leaving time for packing and saying goodbye. But, if we want to - _

“BRING THE SWORD BACK!” Durtor yelled, enraged. I started, not expecting the loud noise bringing me back into reality. I concentrated, thinking about the sword appearing in my hand. After a moment, the blade on the ground faded and disappeared, the space in my hand becoming more opaque until the sword was fully in my hand. The whole process took about 3 seconds, which I would certainly need to work on. I immediately threw the sword into the air, not worrying about finesse or direction. After a second of it spinning end after end into the air, I thought about it coming back, and it was suddenly in my hand, taking slightly less time than the previous try.

I did the same thing with the longsword, though I didn’t throw it at the target, as it was even more unwieldy for tossing than the shortsword. I simply tossed it and walked about 15 feet away, and had a similar experience.

It was a weird feeling, having something materialize in my hand. It wasn’t  _ that _ strange, though, as my blades lost their weight when phased, and so I only held the hilt, for all intents and purposes. It was going to be  _ quite _ a useful bit of magic, I think.

For the rest of the day, we were gathering what we needed on our journey to Mila’s village. I still had my Bag of Holding, a proper one this time that was pretty much infinite, in which I put my food, money, tools, tent, and random other useful items. I stored most of our goods, but just in case we lost it or it was stolen, we packed some saddlebags with daily rations. 

We took notes on what path we intended on taking, deciding where we would go. We chose to travel across the water, as it was much faster than land, though it would be less exciting and potentially more dangerous (those seem like opposites, but they really aren’t). We intended to travel through Asavir’s Channel, across the Sea of Swords, and, finally, up the Sword Coast to land in Luskan. It wasn’t the prettiest of towns, but it didn’t need to be, as long as it was a port city that could bring us closer to Ten Towns, where we intended to get more information about the village. It was a good plan, so of course it went wrong almost immediately.

*****

So, to set the stage. We were set to go, we had a good, hopefully loyal crew to pilot the ship, the supplies we would need on our journey, and our weapons. We even managed to somehow remove Zer0’s speech inhibitor, which was cool (don’t ask how, I seriously have  _ no _ idea), though they didn’t speak much even without it, as they were used to being mostly silent. The ship we chose was magical, such that it could sail without the need for the wind, and very clearly was not a steamship. We set off early in the morning, skies looking beautiful. We sailed west, out of the Shining Sea, taking up the rest of the day.

The next morning, when I went up top to look out across the waves, I was surprised to see storm clouds. The previous day, like I said, was a perfect blue sky, but now it was covered with roiling, dark clouds. 

“Uh, are we gonna be okay?” I asked the captain worriedly.

“Ah, ya, we’ll be foine,” he replied, smiling at me. I grinned back, my worries not alleviated. I went below, to my room, to try to get some reading done, and as soon as I opened the spellbook, I heard some droplets hit my window. I looked up, looking at the porthole, and jumped back out of my seat. The water was red! 

I ran out of my room and back to the deck, where more rain was falling. It was also red, dark tears splattering on the ground. I held out my hand, letting a few drops fall on it, and sniffed it. I quickly straightened my hand, flinging the liquid away. It was, as far as I could tell, blood!

“Why is it raining blood?” I shouted to the captain, who was wide-eyed at the helm.

“Oie has no clooe!” he yelled back, frantic. I went and knocked on Robin’s door, opening it after I heard a ‘Come in!’ from the human. Panting, I started to tell him about what was going on, but he interrupted me very quickly.

“Dude, why is your hair dripping red? And why is it orange?” he asked, rising from his seat.

I stood, panting, in the doorway.

“I… am… very… surprised… because it’s… raining… blood,” I told him, and his eyes widened in shock.

“What are you talking about? Is that a metaphor?”

I shook my head grimly. “Look up on the deck.”

He followed me uncertainly up to the deck, where he looked at the sky in bewilderment. The captain, covered in red, noticed us, and yelled, “Get beloo! Sue far, noothing bad has happened, end yu woun’t be ooseful up ere!”

We scrambled back down to our rooms, and considered what we should do.

“I think we should do as the captain says. We can’t really do anything, and so we should stay in our cabins and try not to freak out,” I said, and Robin nodded. I went over to Zer0’s cabin and told them what was up, though they wouldn’t have left their room anyway.

So now we’re up to speed in this little tale of ours, at least so far. We were sailing north, to find Mila’s village and tell them what a hero she was, the sacrifice she made for us all. We thought we were prepared, but naturally, we were severely  _ not _ .

*****

**_The portal acted almost like a liquid, morphing shape with no seeming rhyme or reason, a rip in the world, an impossible 2 dimensional shape. Just outside of it, another impossible 2-D figure hovered, eye locked on the vast omniverse. A streak of light shot across his view, and the gateway shook. Out of it flew a bird, one with a singular eye and teeth in its beak. Its feathers were razor sharp, and when it cawed, animals ran and people shuddered. The figure didn’t smile, as it didn’t have a mouth, but if anyone were there, it seemed satisfied as it settled over the bird, entering its body._ **


	2. The Islands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alushtas, Robin, and Zer0 end up on an island, where they take refuge in a strange fortress. The mystery deepens as events unfold, but the answers they find will only give them more questions to answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is a work in progress, as well as the first draft  
> basically me vomiting my thoughts onto the page  
> anygay, enjoy

**2**

That night, the storm worsened. The ship was rocked around, and I spent the majority of my time as wedged into a corner as I could, trying to meditate. I managed to get a small amount of rest in, but not much. As the ship rocked and swelled with the waves, so did my thoughts, turbulent and muddled. I really didn’t want to keep thinking about Mila, but I didn’t really have a choice.

I’ll spare you the details, but I did cry, and when Robin knocked on the door to see if I was okay, he saw me curled up and came over and hugged me. I wrapped my arms around him, glad for the comfort, and after a moment let him go. I stumbled out of my little corner, and he caught me.

“Thank you,” I said, tears streaming down my face.

He smiled at me, also crying. “Of course, I know what it’s like to lose someone you love.”

“Platonically, of course,” he added, “though platonic bonds can be even stronger than romantic ones, right?”

I smiled back, and agreed. He patted my back, and went back to his cabin. I took a deep breath, and slowly let it out. I tried to clear my head, pushing my thoughts to the side, when suddenly I was jettisoned across my room and against the wall.

I landed hard, gasping.

“What? What’s going on?” I said, running out of my room. Robin was also there, as was Zer0. They both shook their heads in confusion, and we ran up to the deck. 

“Captain! What’s happening?” I shouted, the sky still dark and red.

“We’ve het land!” he yelled back, and my eyes widened. I ran back to my room, gathering the few items I had brought, thinking using my small knowledge of ships that it was going to sink. The others were also up, getting their gear to abandon ship. I grabbed my bow, quiver, and Bag of Holding, and sprinted back to the deck. Zer0 seemed to have jumped down off of it, onto a rock below. A light flared, and I looked back to see Robin holding a torch glowing with green flames, and I knew it was Greek fire, which would hopefully not go out in the rain, though I wasn’t certain, as it was blood, not water. 

It seemed to be doing fine, so he held it out for Zer0 to see with, and after a few minutes the android climbed back up to tell us what was up.

“We hit some rocks-” “obviously,” I muttered “-but the damage doesn’t look terrible. The ship isn’t going to go down, but it won’t be sailing anytime soon. We should move out, it looks like these rocks are just off an island.”

“Okey, thoot seatles it then!” the captain said, and went below decks to tell the crew. I jumped off the prow, landing solidly on a rock. Robin followed me, though he slipped. I grabbed his arm before he could fall, to which he smiled his thanks. I nodded, and we walked toward the large, looming landmass.

When we reached it, I realized it wasn’t a mountain, like I thought, but a large fortress on an otherwise flat, seemingly uninhabited island.

“Okay, this is weird,” I said, “though I guess no more so than blood rain.”

“Yeah, the only islands I know of around that  _ might _ have a fortress are… what were they called… the Nelanther Isles! But… those are… well, I don’t know how far they are from Calimport exactly, but we shouldn’t have been able to get here in the amount of time we’ve been gone.”

“Curiouser and curiouser…” I replied, and walked toward the fortress. It had, from what I could see, an inner and outer wall, with slits for archers and towers for mages. It was made from some stone, but I didn’t get too close to it, as I didn’t know if it was inhabited or not. It didn’t have a moat, but just a large portcullis that could, probably, be raised or lowered to let people in.

When the entire crew was off the ship, we met up on the land to decide what to do next. In the end, we chose to set up camp a bit away from the fortress and wait until morning to make another decision.

However, the day was not finished tormenting us. We set up our sleeping area (the ship’s crew didn’t have tents, but we were able to set up a roof type thing that we slept under. We also set up watch, and I went first, which is, obviously, when things got even worse.

I was sitting just inside the tent, looking out over the island. The rain still hadn’t let up, and it was still quite dark out, but my *darkvision* allowed me to see fairly well, if not perfectly. After about half an hour, I noticed a shape moving a couple hundred feet away. I pulled out my bow, aiming at it, waiting for it to attack. It just kinda shambled around, not really doing anything. After another minute, a second, and a third, a fourth, and even more appeared, slowly walking into my line of sight. I put down my bow, and crept out into the rain. I intended to find out what they were, why they seemed to just be standing in the rain, vibing, and if they were dangerous.

I slowly walked toward them, unsure of exactly what I would do, but, like I have before, certain that it would be stupid and I would regret it. When I got close, however, I was able to see them more clearly. I realized with a start that they were skeletons, holding broken shields and rusted swords. One of them turned toward me, and made a rattling noise. It ran at me, and I yelped. It swung its sword and I ducked, rolling to the side. I swung at its neck, severing it from its head, and it toppled over. I grinned in satisfaction, but the head suddenly rolled toward the body, reattaching, and the bones stood up.

My smile quickly disappeared, and I went to work cutting it, slicing off its arms, legs, head, and ribcage, and even cut the bones themselves in half, revealing their marrow. Still, it reassembled itself, and ran at me, intent on killing me. Its clattering alerted the other skeletons, who walked over menacingly. Realizing that I couldn’t win this fight, at least not without magic I didn’t know, I ran back toward the campsite.

As I neared our ‘tent’, I screamed “SPOOKY SCARY SKELETONS!” to wake up the others. They were groggy, but quickly woke up when I grabbed the torch I had implanted into the soil and lit it, the grinning faces even more intimidating and gruesome in the green light. I shoved the flame toward the closest bony boy, and it backed off, wary of the heat. 

“We need to go to the fortress!” I said, not looking behind me at the crew, who were grabbing their things to go. When they were all ready, I passed the torch to Robin, and led the others toward the cullis. Robin was at the back, staving away the skeletons, though we both knew it would be a temporary solution. 

When we got to the gate, I looked up, judging how I would get over. I planned on scaling the wall and opening the portcullis from the inside. I called to Zer0, told them I wanted them to come with me, and grabbed the gate. I started climbing up it, my acrobatic skill being very handy, and somehow managed to get out, around, and over the wall when I got to the top. I climbed down the other side, dropping the final few feet and landing in a superhero position because I couldn’t resist.

Zer0 dropped beside me, crouching cat-like to absorb the impact. The hallway seemed to be deserted, and I quickly found the winch. I opened the cullis, and everyone ran in, Robin coming in last to dissuade the skeletons from joining us. However, one managed to squeeze under the gate before it closed, and I ran at it. 

Somehow, maybe because it was just bones and therefore very light, I managed to pick it up by the skull and throw it straight over the wall.

“Wow,” Robin said, impressed, “That was impressive.”

“Thanks,” I panted, “I try.”

We explored the fortress tentatively, but it seemed to be empty. We were lucky it was there, as otherwise we would’ve had to figure out a way to beat those skeletons. I was worried about what would happen in the morning, as we couldn’t hide out here forever, but maybe there was something here we could use to beat them.

As we went through the rooms, it was obvious it was abandoned, but.. It didn’t quite seem to add up. We found quite a few items, nothing really of any value, but nobody, not even any bodies.

“What… happened here?” one of the crew asked.

“I don’t know…” I responded, “There’s no sign of a struggle, but everything’s still here. If they left intentionally, they would’ve brought their things with them. We should just keep looking, maybe we’ll understand.”

I led the way with Zer0, and Robin was at the back, as the crew wasn’t nearly as adept with blades as us. Don’t get me wrong, they could fight, but they didn’t have the practice the three of us did. We got to a large doorway, with fancy inlay around the edge, so we knew what was in the room would be important. I pushed open the door, and gasped at what I saw.

There was a large library, completely filled with books. It was a circular room, two stories, with a domed ceiling. Books lined the walls, tables all across the floor of the first story. The second story was taken up by a walkway around the edge to get to the books, as well as a haphazard array of pathways and bookshelves that seemed to defy gravity and physics - it was heaven.

I don’t think this gives an accurate description of how many books there were, however. Each story was probably at least 12 feet tall, and the room was, I think, at least 150 feet across. And it was  _ filled _ with books.

I ran to one of the shelves to see what knowledge they contained, and pulled out one of the books. It seemed to be a spellbook, a simple one evidently, because I could read it as an elf barely practicing any kind of magic. Its spells didn’t seem very useful to me at the moment, so I put it back. I walked to another shelf, and grabbed another. It was also a spellbook, which I somewhat expected. I ran to a ladder that led to the second story, and selected another book, which was… another spellbook!

“Guys, I think I found why this fortress is here!” I shouted down, and the others walked in, gasping when they saw all the books.

“These are all spellbooks!” I said excitedly and Robin looked up, eyes wide.

“ _ All _ of them?” he asked, surprised.

“Well, I’m not entirely certain, but I think so,” I replied, smiling. A smile grew on his face as the implications of what that meant sunk in, and he ran to a bookshelf. He pulled a book, flipped through it, then put it back. He grabbed another wildly, slightly hyperventilating.

See, something that I have forgotten to really mention is that since Mila’s death, Robin has picked up magic fairly well. I don’t know if the two events are connected, or he was just curious about it because of her or what, but whatever the case, he seems to have an aptitude for it. Therefore, it would make sense for him to be so excited about having an entire library full of magic books to help him in his journey. Anygay.

The third one he grabbed had different results, however. When he pulled it from the shelf, it lifted a pressure plate hidden underneath it, which caused the ground to rumble. I jumped over the railing and rolled when I hit the floor, grabbing the awestruck Robin and going back into the doorway. I turned around just as cables whirred down from the ceiling, locking into small parts on the tables, lifting them and the chairs, which seemed to be connected to the tables in some way. When they were at the second story, they stopped, though the ground kept rumbling loudly. 

After a moment, the stone floor of the chamber dropped away, creating a spiral staircase around the outside of the room that led into darkness, at least for a few seconds. Once those were up, torches hidden in alcoves flared to life, brightening the way down.

Robin, recovering from his shock, walked out and down the first step. When he saw us still standing at the doorway, he tilted his head to the side slightly.

“Well, what are you waiting for? Let’s see where the spellbook stairway goes!” he told us, and started walking down.

I shook my head, chuckling, and followed him down. The sailors opted to stay above and wait for us, while Zer0 came with me. The stairs led down, down, down, down, (you get the point, they didn’t go up) until we reached a small-ish room. It was box-like, perpendicular to the end of the stairs (if that makes sense, if not, sorry). The room seemed to be about 10 feet square, and perfectly empty. It was made of stone, and had another doorway like the one we came from on the opposite side. The middle of the room seemed to shimmer slightly, which worried me, but Zer0 already had a plan.

“Stay here. Let me try something,” they said, and I agreed. They sent out their hologram, but nothing happened.

“Um, maybe it can only be activated by matter?” I asked tentatively, and Zer0 reappeared, their hologram disappearing.

“Hmm, perhaps. What would you like to toss?”

I thought for a moment, and then an obvious thought came to my mind. “I’ll throw my shortsword,” I said, and my friends nodded. I pulled out the weapon, and tossed it to the other side of the room. It seemed to shimmer as it flew, but it clattered to the ground on the other side, unchanged. Nothing happened in the room, and I summoned my blade back to me.

“Well, it seems to be safe,” I said, and started walking across the room. Robin grabbed my arm, warning in his eyes.

“At least let me check it first,” he said, and I reluctantly agreed. I didn’t know exactly what he would do, as he couldn’t really do magic quite yet, but he closed his eyes and concentrated for a few seconds. After that was over, he opened his eyes, confused.

“So, there’s some magic here, but it seems neutral. Definitely has to do with that shimmer, but I don’t know what it does.”

I shrugged, and said, “I’m sold. Let’s go”. I walked across the room, but suddenly and strangely felt nauseous as soon as I passed through the shimmer. It was over quickly, but it was not fun while it lasted. Zer0 came over after me, seemingly just fine, and Robin came in last. I peeked through the doorway, and found that it had a staircase as well, as though we had somehow turned around and gone through the doorway we came into the room through.

“Curiouser and curiouser…” I said, and ascended the steps. When I reached the top, I found myself in a room identical to the other library, except the books seemed to be historical, citing wars and events from long ago, rather than books filled with knowledge of magic. We left the room, myself half expecting to find the sailors, but there were none. The three of us explored the strange building, and the more we saw the more I was sure it was identical to the one we had come from. I didn’t know how or why, especially as we had explored the entirety of the fortress, until Robin suggested something.

“So, I have an idea. We know that shimmer was magical, but we don’t know exactly what it does. My thought, especially because of the nausea that we felt, is that it teleported us somewhere else, to an identical fortress, for whatever reason. I don’t know if it was intentional, or if that was even what happened or what, but that’s my theory.”

I considered it, and nodded. “Probably, yeah. We should head back, maybe come back here in the morning to find out more. Gods know we aren’t going to get any answers outside in this storm. Maybe sleeping will make it go away.

They agreed, and we went back through the portal and into the library. We told the sailors what we had found, and they exchanged nervous glances, superstitious as they came about magic. Robin put the spellbook back on the plate, and the room returned to the way it was before, which suited our needs perfectly as a place of operation. The sailors got themselves comfortable, falling asleep quickly considering the situation. Robin stayed up to read the magic books and explore the library, and I spent a few hours sparring with Zer0, using my skills and blades while they used their Decepti0n to try to get an edge. At probably just past 2 in the morning, they told me they should power off, so that they could function correctly the next day (later that day? Late nights have always confused me concerning linguistics). I spent the remaining time reading a history book I had taken from the other library. It talked about the Days of Thunder, the time of the creator races. 

I was surprised at how detailed it was, as we didn’t have much knowledge about that time. The elder races didn’t really write down their history, preferring other methods of posterity, and the other, now main, races were still fairly primitive. I wondered about its origins, as it did not specify an author. The day (days?) had already been incredibly strange, and this only magnified my confusion.

*****

The following morning, Robin said a loud ‘Aha!’, right before all of the books on the shelves disappeared in a flash. As I processed what was happening, closing the book which I was about ⅔ of the way through, I realized that even the book holding the pressure plate had gone. I shouted loudly, startling the sailors awake, just as the hooks started coming down. The seamen quickly realized what was happening, jumping off the tables before they were lifted up. I looked to the man who had caused all this, and my expression said it all.

“I was trying to figure out a method to summon the books, ya know, so I can take them with me, when I found this bag-” he gestured to a small bag leaning against his leg “-and picked it up. I saw that it had been lying on a trapdoor. I lifted it, and found a button. That’s when I said ‘Aha!’, and pushed it. I think the books retracted into the walls, and then deposited themselves somehow directly into the bag. I think it’s a Bag of Holding, maybe specially modified to hold the books, because it doesn’t feel like there’s anything in there, but I can summon a book at my will.”

“That’s - that’s pretty cool,” I said, thinking back to the other library. “Hey, didn’t the other library also have a bag like this?” I asked, and Robin’s face lit up. 

“Oh, I think it did! Maybe we can take those with us as well!” He ran down the stairs, and I followed, leaving the grumpy, tired sailors above. There was, in fact, another bag, and Robin triumphantly lifted the trapdoor underneath it (after moving the bag, obviously), pushing the button. This time I watched, and the books did, in fact, retract into the walls. I don’t know how the fortress knew where the bag was, but the ceiling opened above it, dumping all the books into it. I would’ve been upset at the seeming rough handling of the ancient tomes, except I doubted that people who went to the trouble of getting all of them together and setting up such an elaborate thing just to break the books when they go to their designated location.

“Ok, cool, let’s go outside and see what’s up,” I said, and Robin nodded.

“I think we should go up on the wall so we can see better,” Zer0 said.

“Good idea!” I agreed, and we went off. When we got to the wall, we found that it was no longer raining. In fact, the sky was completely clear of clouds again, which barely surprised me at this point. I could see far across the sea, and could make out the edge of two lands, one which seemed to be a mainland and one that had a fortress, the one I assumed we had come from.

“Well,” I said, “I guess that  _ was _ a portal. Wonder how it got there.”

“Yeah, that is a mystery. One for another time, or perhaps not, as I don’t much care,” Robin replied, and I smirked.

“Fair enough, now let’s try to figure a way off of here. Maybe there’s a ship around here, or something. This is a fortress on an island and the people seem to have simply disappeared, I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s still one around.”

We climbed down the outside of the wall (well, I say ‘we’, but Zer0 and I just jumped down while Robin looked at us with a dead look in his eyes) and looked around. We managed to find a small ship, good enough for our purposes, but it wasn’t in good shape. 

“Um, will this old thing work? I don’t know much about sailing… “ I asked uncertainly.

Robin smiled and clapped me on the shoulder. “It’ll be fine, but if it isn’t, look on the bright side! I can probably find a spell I’ll maybe be able to use to possibly transport you back to the mainland! So many books, there  _ has _ to be something!”

“Hmm, if, probably, maybe, possibly, unnecessary positivity. We’re going to die here, aren’t we?” I asked him.

He smiled widely, a slightly crazed look in his eyes. “I hope not! So many spells to try, so many new ways to die! Hey, that rhymed!”

I hung my head, shaking it as well. “Yep, we’re doomed. Robin only does this when things are hopeless.”

“Nope, everything is fine. We’re going to make our way off this isolated land, and we’re going to be absolutely fine!”

I looked to Zer0 sadly, and said, “Ah, I’ll miss Robin. He was a good friend, but unfortunately madness has already set in.”

Zer0 displayed a ‘:)’, and replied, “Yes, a good friend. He shall be missed. I’ll get the funeral ready. What kind of coffin do you think he would’ve liked?”

I laughed, walking back to the wall. As I dexterously climbed it, I stated, “I think he’d like… hm, he was a fan of valenwood. Wait, that was from Elder Scrolls, wasn’t it? Yeah, I think it was. Pity, I don’t feel like travelling elsewhere. Say, do you think the staff could do anything else? Probably not, shifting dimensions is powerful enough as it is. Going back on track, um, birch, maybe? What do you think, Robin?”

“Oh, I’d  _ love _ rowan. It’s simple, but pretty, I thought. How about it?”

I shrugged, looking down at the man. “I think we could do that, to honor a good man, don’t you think, Zer0?”

“Yes, excellent. There will be many sobbing women.”

“Hey, why would I care about sobbing women?” Robin asked, “I’m ace/aro, remember?”

“Wow, it feels like he’s still here with us. Like I said, he really was a good man. Too bad the island got ahold of him,” I said, trying to keep myself from grinning.

“Hey, I’m still here,” Robin grumbled as he started climbing the wall.

“I can still hear his voice… “ I said, pausing for a moment to look off into the sunrise.

“Oh, haha, very funny. Let’s go get those sailors. Hey, couldn’t we’ve simply raised the portcullis instead of climbing the wall?”

“His calm voice of reason seems to stick with me, telling me all the boring things we should do in life,” I said, as though reminiscing about him. “I’ll miss everything about him. The way he comforted me. The way he fought with me. The way we snuck into places and stole stuff.” Robin groaned beneath me, and a laugh escaped me.

“I will miss the way he seems to be a clown, even though he hasn’t had any training,” Zer0 responded.

“Wow, calling me a clown to my face? Just wait till I get up there, buddy, cause then, I’m going to climb down the other side and ignore you, like a cool person.”

I laughed properly this time, and helped Robin over the wall. He was smiling, so I high fived him, then backed up against the… what’s it called… the little wall thingy on the sides of the wall because it’s also a walkway? Whatever it’s called, I backed up against the one facing inward, like I was facing away from the fortress.

Robin tilted his head toward me, knowing what I was about to do. “Don’t,” he warned, and I smirked.

“Don’t do what? I don’t know what you’re talking about, madman.” As I finished my sentence, I fell backward over the wall, flipping myself around so that I was facing the ground, spread-eagled. Just before I hit the ground, I straightened, landing on my toes and bouncing, rolling to absorb the impact.

I jumped back up to my feet, and looked up expectantly. Zer0 had also jumped, but stabbed their sword into the wall to cause friction and slow them down. It didn’t seem to work incredibly well, as the sword’s sharp edge easily slid through the stone and they had quite a bit of momentum, so they landed easily in a crouch instead.

“Showoffs,” Robin grumbled, and started climbing down.

“I’d be willing to catch a dead man, if he were to trust me and jump,” I said jesteringly at him (is that an adjective? It is now), and he shook his head. Suddenly, he launched himself backward, tucking and flipping. I reacted quickly, and caught him just as he opened his tuck, bringing me to the ground. He groaned, and I laughed.

“You idiot,” I said, grinning, “you know I didn’t mean that literally.” He laughed, and slowly got to his feet.

“We should go get those sailors,” he said, and I responded with a simple, “I guess so.”

As we were walking back, we came across a room I hadn’t seen before. I thought I had a pretty good map of the fortress in my head, but it did not include this room, in the other fortress or this one. I glanced at my companions, uncertain, and pushed the door open.

The room was abandoned, just like the rest of the fortresses, and had a table, with a few chairs strewn around it like people had been sitting down and pushed them out to get up. On the table was some kind of stand, with a glowing yellow (or gold, but potato potahto) something on it. As we got closer, we could see that it was hourglass shaped, which raised my eyebrows and made me think a few things.

Robin seemed transfixed with it, and reached out to grab it. When I grabbed his wrist, thinking that it might be trapped or something, I saw that his irises, usually a deep brown, were a bright silver, locked on the small object. Realizing that I couldn’t stop him, I instead pulled out the object that the gem reminded me of.

He pulled it from its stand, gazing at it with wonder. His lips parted slightly in awe, and he reached out his other hand toward me expectantly. Confused, I tried to take it, but his eyebrows creased and he slapped my hand away. I asked him what he wanted, but he didn’t respond. I started to back away, unnerved by whatever was happening to my friend, when suddenly the staff, which I had taken out just a few moments before, flew out of my hand, into his waiting grasp. 

Still staring at the gem, he let go of the staff. I jumped forward, thinking that it was going to fall, but it stood upright, quivering slightly. As I neared it, a sudden gust of wind sent me flying to the other side of the room. Robin reached toward the top, at the spider standing on top of the stick, and to the amethyst hourglass sitting in its abdomen. He pulled it out easily, something I had never been able to do (though I tried), and gazed at it, blue in one hand, yellow in the other. He put his arm by his side, and lifted the other one, the one holding the yellow gem. He pushed it into the hole, and a bright flash of light filled the room. When the light subsided, Robin looked surprised and a little scared, standing, holding the staff. He swayed, and I ran forward to catch him. He looked up at me, his eyes back to their normal brown, smiled, and fell asleep.

*****

**_A small lone bird flew across the waves, but nothing attacked it. No larger birds tried to swipe it, no aquatic predators tried to burst out and snap it. It let out another loud call, and the fish below it shuddered and died. It spied a sparrow, which had been cast out to sea by the vicious winds the previous night, and in it, found its lunch. It loosed lightning from its beak, striking the poor bird, and caught it in its beak as it fell. As it ate, the bird smiled internally, plotting a new deal._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tumblr: @my-gender-is-9-bucks-and-2-d20s


	3. Mila Zolsaha

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trio makes it back to the mainland, where Robin an old friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is a rough draft  
> final draft may or may not be posted after the whole thing is finished  
> i'm too tired and I haven't even posted hte final draft of The Staff  
> which includes a much longer section in Bloodshot Stronghold  
> but anyway
> 
> yeah, it's a work in progress  
> please leave a comment if you like it, they give me validation

**3**

“Dude, what was up with that? Are you good?” I asked Robin a few minutes after he woke up. He looked puzzled, but then glanced at the staff, the gem still glowing a soft yellow, and his eyes cleared and he smiled.

“Ah, that. Yeah, I think the gem controls the… I guess they way the staff’s power is channeled? I think the blue one allows it to travel dimensions, but I don’t know about this one. It definitely feels different, but I’m not entirely certain what it will do.”

“I mean, that isn’t exactly what I meant, but that’s pretty cool. We probably shouldn’t experiment until we learn more, but still. No, what I was talking about was that you almost seemed possessed. Your eyes were silver, and you barely reacted to me at all. You somehow summoned the staff to your hand, and you were able to replace the blue gem with this yellow one. You seemed transfixed with it, what’s going on?” I studied his face, but he only looked confused.

“I- I’m not sure. It was almost like I wasn’t in control, like there was someone else there… with me. I don’t know why. I’m sorry.” He looked anguished, upset that he couldn’t give me an answer.

“Hey, it’s okay. I don’t know exactly what’s happening or what you’re going through, but I’m going to be here for you. I understand it may not feel that way, but I promise, I’m not going to abandon you, I care about you.” I stared into his eyes, showing that I was being genuine, and he smiled weakly at me.

“Thank you,” he said, and I gripped his shoulder.

“Now, we should see what we can do to get off this island. I don’t know how long you were out, but the sailors are probably getting a little worried.”

“Sounds good. Although I disagree with you about using the staff, I think we should just go for it.” I laughed, and rolled my eyes at my friend.

“Sure, sounds like fun. Let’s try to get to land before we wreck our lives again, huh?”

“Ok, fine, we can wait until then.”

“Thanks.”

“Hey, where’s Zer0? I haven’t seen them since… well, I think since we came into this room.” Robin looked back at me questioningly.

“Um, I don’t actually know. They didn’t follow us in here, I don’t think, but I don’t know where they did go.”

“Well, I’m sure they’re fine.”

We walked out of the room, and back to the history book room. The pressure plate was raised, the stairs visible. We went through the secret room and up into the magic book library (yes, both are empty of any books, but I want to be clear about the rooms we were in), where the sailors were still waiting. I don’t know why, but Zer0 was just there, leaning against a wall.

“Hey, Zer0, what’s up?” I asked the android, and they tilted their head toward me.

“I was about to enter the room when it suddenly slammed shut, and it was locked. I would try to break in, but I wasn’t certain what was happening and didn’t want to interrupt anything. Therefore, I came back here to wait for you. Are we able to go now?”

“Um, yeah, I guess. I just don’t know  _ how _ exactly.” Robin walked over, for he had been talking to the captain, and joined the conversation.

“Hey, Zer0. I was talking to the captain, and we agree that we should go check the damages on the ship, see if we can fix it up to go to the mainland. We don’t expect to be able to sail the rest of the way, but maybe just to dry land that isn’t inhabited by murderous skeletons.” I agreed with him, and the three of us went out to check on the ship, as well as the captain.

When we arrived, I could easily see that the ship wasn’t going anywhere. The rocks had absolutely destroyed the hull, especially at the speed we had been going, and we had no materials to fix it with.

“Well, seeing as how we can’t really fix this, how are we going to leave this place?” I asked them, and the captain shook his head. Zer0 presented a ‘:(‘, though Robin simply looked thoughtful.

“I want to try something,” he said, and I looked at him, alarmed. I knew from experience that him ‘trying something’ usually ended up with someone dead or at least injured (accidental, of course). He started chanting strange words, and I backed away, knowing he was casting a spell. The yellow gem on the staff started glowing brighter than usual, and Robin gestured at me in the middle of the chant.

I started to say, “Oh, no you don’t”, but by the time I finished my sentence, I was back in the history room.

“Whelp,” I said as some of the sailors jumped back, startled by my sudden entrance. After a few minutes, Robin ran into the room, followed by Zer0 and a puffing captain.

“It worked!” Robin said excitedly, and I responded with a “Yes, surprisingly.”

“This means that we can simply teleport back to the mainland!” he told me, for I looked unnerved by his happiness.

“Could we teleport straight to Ten-Towns?” I asked, and he shook his head, frowning.

“Unfortunately, we can only teleport fairly short distances, at least so far, but I think it’s enough to get us to shore. If we are where I think we are, the closest city is Velen, along the coast of the nearest peninsula.”

“You sure you can get us there without being able to see where you’re going? Blind teleports never end well,” I asked, concerned for my safety.

“Oh, yeah, I mean I was able to get you here directly. This will be easy, don’t worry!” His tone of voice only made me worry more, but as I couldn’t really do anything and there wasn’t really another way off the island, I didn’t have much choice in the matter.

We all went to the other fortress, which was a hassle with the sailors, especially as we couldn’t tell them what we were going to do to leave. When we were all on the wall, Robin stood on one of the… railings? Whatever they’re called, he stood on the one closest to the fortress, facing the direction (hopefully) of Velen.

He started chanting again, this time gesturing at the group, and I hoped the spell would also take him, as he was my closest friend and I didn’t want him to be stuck here. The islands were reputed to be the home of pirates, though, because they seemed to be abandoned, I assumed the skeletons were the remains of the pirates. I had thought they were still alive, but suddenly dead pirates and living skeletons were the least of my current concerns.

When he finished the spell, I had to squint my eyes against the bright sun, suddenly directly in my line of sight. I stood ankle deep in seawater, and seemed to be on a beach. Once my eyes adjusted, I saw that we were right by some docks, as well as the city of Velen.

“That-that worked,” I said, shocked and awed.

“O, ye of little faith,” Robin said with a smirk, and I replied, saying, “No, seriously. I had no idea that would work.”

“Thanks,” he said sarcastically, and I lightly punched his arm.

“What just happened?” a sailor yelled, eyes wide.

“We’re near the city of Velen, a port city where you guys can get a new ship or jobs or something,” I said tiredly, gesturing toward a large vessel.

The captain turned to me and said matter-of-factly, “Yoo are gonna pay fa me ship, righ?”

“Ugh, fine, here,” I said, annoyed, and gave him enough money for a new ship. As a thief, I had plenty of money, and could always get more. The sailors left, grumbling unhappily about magic, which relieved me, as they were a bit annoying and I prefer the company of my two friends.

“So, what’s the plan now? We could get a new ship, but I’m tired of sailors and the last time didn’t work out so well, so I think we should figure out something else. I’m going to assume we can’t teleport again, at least for a while?”

Robin smiled regretfully, or something like that, and said, “Yeah, I’m forgetting the words as we speak. I’m a bit surprised, to be honest, that I was able to cast it twice already, but I guess it took a bit to fade from my memory. I might be able to find another, but it would take me quite a while. However, I do have a map we can use. Is there a tavern around here where we can spend some time?”

“Good question, let’s go into town.” We walked out of the water, and entered the city. After some questioning, we got directions to an inn called Morgan’s Inn, which we walked to. We got some drinks (well, Robin and I, as Zer0 didn’t drink), and took a table. As we sat there, drinking in companionable silence, a person wrapped in cloth came up to our table.

“You aren’t from around here, are you?” the strange individual asked, and I shook my head.

“That’s what I thought. Have you heard the legends that this city is haunted?”

“Haunted?” I asked, interested. I turned to face them, and they uncovered their face. She was pretty, but not exceptionally so, with golden eyes and light brown skin.

“Yes, many visitors leave saying there are ghosts here, though I have never encountered one personally. You may want to be cautious, as outsiders aren’t seen that much anymore. Those legends and the pirates discourage tourists, though we are still profitable for trading as a port city.”

“Ah, yes, the skele - I mean pirates. They live on the Nelanther Islands, yes?”

“Yes, they have tormented our city for years, but our excellent navy has fended them off.”

“I come from Calimport, and they have attacked us a few times. However, my interest in them comes because we have actually just come from the Islands.”

She jerked suddenly, shocked. 

“You… came from the Islands? Safely?”

“Well,” I said with a smirk directed at Robin, “I don’t know about  _ safely _ , but yes, we have come from there. We have found it abandoned, except for skeletons that attacked us during the night. It is my belief that this is all that remains of the pirates, though I do not know how or why they have sustained such a gruesome fate.”

A smile slowly broke across her face once she realized I wasn’t clowning. “Dead…” she muttered to herself, marvelling at the news. One of the things she said finally properly registered in my head, and I asked her, “Wait, ghosts?”

“Yeah, I don’t know what’s up with that, anyway, I gotta go, bye! Be safe, don’t die, that would be embarrassing!” Before I could respond, she had covered her face again and ran out of the inn.

“So that happened,” I said, just as Robin fell out of his chair.

“Whoa, man, you good?” I said, concern crossing my face.

“What’s going on?” he said, scrambling to his feet, his eyes darting around.

“Um, seriously, are you okay? Are you messing with me right now?” I asked, cautiously walking toward him. He shrieked and pushed me away, still glancing around nervously.

“I… I have to go. Meet me at the Blackthorn’s Brew tonight. Ask the barkeep where it is. I’ll see you then.”

He ran out of the door, ramming into a large dwarf on his way out.

“Hey, watch it buddy!” the irate dwarf said, turning to the mage. Robin completely ignored him, and just kept running. I started to go after him, when suddenly a strong hand grasped my shoulder. I looked to see Zer0 holding me back, faceplate displaying a held up hand, as if to say “Wait”.

“Evidently something has spooked him. Going after him would not alleviate that, more than likely, and as such it may be better to leave him alone. He will not be gone forever, and we know where to find him when he returns. Come, let us explore.”

We left the inn after paying for our drinks (typical of Robin to skip out on the check), and explored the town. Like the mysterious woman had said, the town was haunted, though it was more of a feeling than actually seeing ghosts. I supposed that it had something to do with how attuned to magic a person was, because Zer0 said they didn’t feel anything.

*****

Once we were done, we went to the Blackthorn’s Brew. We found Robin sitting at a table, holding a mug of ale. He seemed to be brooding, and he didn’t typically drink, as he liked to be in control of himself.

“Hey, dude, you good?” I asked, slowly walking up to him. He started, raising his head quickly, then dropping it slowly once he saw it was me.

“Uh, well, I’m not sure. Probably not though, you know how it is.” He smiled, but his heart clearly wasn’t in it.

“Please, we just want to help you Robin, what’s going on?” I asked, worried.

“Okay, guys, I’ll tell you. Promise you won’t think I’m crazy?” He asked, looking like he needed comfort. I was going to make a joke, but his expression told me not to. I moved over to him and hugged him, and told him, “I promise, we’ll work with you on this. You are valid, and whatever is going on is valid as well. No matter whether you’re sane or not, we’re going to help you, or at least do our best to.”

He smiled, genuinely this time, and said, “Okay, here goes. Actually, no, I can’t.” He broke down, sobbing, and I held him.

“Take your time, it’s okay.” He straightened up, almost seemed like he was listening to someone, and spoke again: “So, when… when Mila fought Asriel, we saw that bright flash of light, right? That’s when we went and found their - we found their… bodies.” He started crying again, and remembering those horrible moments, holding Mila in my arms, tears also sprung from my eyes.

“Yes. Yes, Robin, I remember.”

“Well, something happened while they were up there. It was strange, for Mila found herself floating above her body, facing a small being, that looked like Asriel if he were younger. They talked, Asriel telling her about everything that had happened to him, and asking to be released. Mila understood, and so unleashed the power of the SOULs, whose power shredded both of them. Asriel died quickly, mercifully, but as you found, Mila survived a bit longer.“

The SOULs, who were still… well, not really  _ alive  _ as it were, but still there, saw her sacrifice, saw what she had done, and gave her their determination, their will to keep living. Her body was ravaged beyond repair, but her essence, her SOUL, continued. She was barely coherent, barely able to keep herself together, but she was still alive, somehow. She stayed with us through our journey, and she guided my spells, allowing us to reach Velen safely. Only here, where magic is able to stretch the laws of the dead and the living, was she able to appear to me. In fact, Alushtas, would you mind moving over a little? She’s right next to you and feeling a little cramped.”

My eyes widened, and I quickly moved to my right.

“No, no, wrong direction,” Robin said, eyes widening.

“Oh, sorry!” I said quickly, and moved to the left. I heard a couple of soft footfalls, like that of a person, but much lighter, moving around the table, and Robin’s eyes tracked something in the air, what I could only assume to be Mila’s face. I was extremely shocked at what he said, that Mila was still alive, and I didn’t know how to react. My brain didn’t really seem to be processing it, though consciously I understood what it meant. Suddenly, Robin’s brow furrowed, and he tilted his head slightly, as though in deep thought.

“Yes, that might work… that might work,” he said to himself, and he looked back into the air. He gave a quick nod of affirmation, and stiffened after a moment, a wild look in his eyes. He then relaxed, slumping onto the table next to his ale, and when he picked his head up, I got the feeling it wasn’t  _ him _ anymore.

“Mila?” I asked hesitantly. A broad smile broke out across Robin’s face, and he ran around the table and hugged me.

“It’s so good to see you!” she said in Robin’s voice, which was uncanny.

“Well, that’s not really the best way to put it, as I’ve been seeing you this whole time, but not in a creepy way, but seriously, I’m so glad to see you and you should really get more sleep!” Mila said quickly, apparently uncaring for breathing.

“Um, well, yeah, it’s  _ so _ good to see you!” I said, caught off guard by her enthusiasm. “I- well, I thought you were dead.” Her face grew somber, and she hugged me again.

“So did I, so did I. I’m very sorry about that. But I am glad to have had a purpose.”

“That is good, and um, as you must have heard, we’re kinda going to your town to tell them about how amazing you are.” She blushed, which I was  _ not _ used to on Robin’s face, and then sobered up quickly.

“Yes, well, there’s a problem. You know that spell that opened the portal? Well, apparently, the warning comes at the  _ end  _ of the spell, which I didn’t get to. So, uh, the portal has to be  _ closed  _ as well, otherwise it kinda becomes a vacuum, sucking things from other dimensions. That’s where the blood rain and skeletons came from, as well, if I understand correctly, the portal connecting the fortresses.”

I blinked, realizing what that meant, and said, “Oookay, uh, can we fix it? Rips in the world are never good.”

“Well, I think so, but we can’t simply use the incantation that was supposed to close it, as it has now become more than just a hole for us to enter this reality through and is now a vacuum. Now, we’re going to have to go and find us a special gem to put in that there staff and go to that portal and recite a  _ different _ incantation to close it. See what happens when we wait too long to do something?”

“Well, that sounds like fun. Do we have any idea where this gem is?”

“Yes, I do. It lies in the Underdark, in the city of Menzoberranzan, the city of spiders.”

*****

**_The bird alighted upon a battlement, cursing its luck. It realized that the group had already left, though the presence of the boat suggested they did not do it through normal means. It thought to itself, and gave a screech that could be heard by both the living and the dead. After a moment, a SOUL came down from the sky, grey against the blue. Once it reached the bird, it changed into the figure of a small anthropomorphic goat. A triangle floated out of the bird, and started telling the monster its proposition..._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TUMBLR: (though you probably came here because of tumblr whatever) @my-gender-is-9-bucks-and-2-d20s  
> go check it out if you want to


	4. Mila's story

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mila enchants some things because she's awesome, Zer0 and Alushtas run into some foes while training, and afterward Mila explains the story behind the staff, revealing shocking information.  
> Oh, also, i'm probably way in over my head  
> so that's fun

**4**

“Well,” I said, “that’s going to make things difficult.”

“Oh, come on, we got this,” Mila said with a crooked smile, “and you can’t tell me you didn’t see something like this coming! It’s Occam’s Razor, you knew the spider had significance!” I sighed and shook my head.

“I guess you’re right, but I’m not happy about it,” I said, and she laughed.

“Oh, also, I have an idea that may or may not work. I want to try it though, and Robin has agreed to it.”

“Well, what is it?” I asked, curious as to what she had in mind.

“The idea is that it will be two… connected, I guess, items that will be able to allow two people that hold each one to… feel each other’s emotions, to a degree, I think. At the same time, I would be able to house myself, my consciousness, inside of it, so I’d be able to appear to the holder, no matter their capabilities with magic.” I cocked my head to the side, considering what she said.

“So you’d be able to manifest to any of us, even Zer0 who has no magic at all, no matter where we are, so long as we hold this object? Sounds… very useful. I like it.”

“Yeah, that’s basically it. Like I said, it would also connect the wearers, which I’m thinking will be you and Robin, so that even if you get separated you will know if the other is in trouble. It will also make things easier for me, because I think I can pretty much… teleport, for lack of a better word, between the two, even if they’re a continent apart.”

“Wow, that’s awesome. How do we make these?” I asked the aasimar, getting out of my chair.

“I already have, or really Robin already has, the medallions I intend to use, and as long as he continues to be okay with me using his body, I think I can enchant them tonight. It might take all night, and I don’t know if I’ll, or Robin, will have the energy to do anything tomorrow, but this is important.”

“Cool. Well, why are we just standing, or sitting, around, looking pretty? We’ve got medallions to enchant, dragons to fight, hopefully, and a gem to steal from a drow city! Let’s go!”

We went up to the room Robin had paid for, and put our things down. Mila immediately went to work, prepping an area to do her magic. She had a worktable, which she covered in books and other papers to refer to while enchanting, as well as the objects the enchantment would be combined with. Once she was done, Zer0 asked me if I wanted to practice fighting, which I quickly agreed to.

We left the inn and walked around the city, trying to find a good place to spar, but it was a busy place, with not much empty space. After about half an hour, we decided to go into the nearby woods, where we found a meadow that would work perfectly.

“Are you ready?” they asked, and I rested my hands on the hilts of my sheathed swords. I quickly grabbed them and phased them out, falling into a defensive stance.

“Come and get me,” I replied, a cocky smile on my face, “if you think you’re hard enough.”

They ran at me swiftly, blade held back to maximise their momentum, and jumped, perfectly calculated, landing in front of me, swinging their blade around. I casually blocked with a flick of my wrist, bringing my shortsword up in front of me. Zer0 jumped backward and flipped, dodging my attack, and landed in a crouch, sword held high to defend. 

I started circling, and they leaped toward me, bringing their blade down toward my head. I dropped my swords and dove, rolling and turning to face my opponent. They ran at me, swinging for my head, and I blocked, my longsword appearing in my hand just in time. I swung my other, empty hand toward them and they moved their other arm to block where they thought my blade was, then, as my arm finished its arc, I summoned my blade and brought it back, phasing it so that it barely nicked Zer0’s armor.

“C’mon dude, give me more of a fight!” I said, and a “>:)” appeared on their faceplate. They ran toward me, jumping as they got close and flipping over me, slicing their sword toward my back. I managed to bring my longsword over my shoulder and block, phasing my blade before it was pushed into my back. I rolled forward and turned, cautiously watching the android, trying to plot its next move. A wild thought came to me and I ran with it, throwing my shortsword at Zer0 as I started running. Caught off guard, they managed to dodge it, but it allowed me to close the distance without retaliation. 

Suddenly, they said, “Look out!” just as they sliced an arrow in half that was going to hit me in the shoulder. I turned around, and saw a squadron of goblins facing us.

“Get em, boys!” the leader said, and the horde started running toward us. 

I shouted, “Wait!” and they stopped, unsure of what I was doing. “Were you guys watching our sparring just now  _ at all _ ? There’s no way you can beat us.”

They murmured amongst themselves for a moment, and then the leader spoke again.

“Ah yes, but there are many more of us! Our sheer numbers will easily overpower you!”

“Fair enough,” I muttered to myself, and then spoke louder, repeating what I had said to Zer0 before our session.

“Well then, come and have a go,” I slid into an offensive stance and smiled at them, “if you think you’re hard enough.”

They yelled and charged at us, and, at a small gesture to Zer0, I tossed my longsword to them while they tossed their monomolecular blade to me. This was a maneuver we had tried in their world, and it worked out well, as its Death Mark ability seemed to be stored in the digistruction of the blade itself, not in Zer0 themself. I sliced through a few enemies with their blade, then flipped out of the way, allowing Zer0, who had pulled out a gun, to easily mow them down. The rest of them turned to their leader, scared, while the dude himself ran toward me, bellowing (no, not The Dude, that’s something else entirely). I flipped over him, opening up his back as I spun in the air. He toppled forward, and I neatly helped him become shorter by about 6 inches.

The rest of the goblins exchanged scared glances and, after about 5 seconds, ran away. I stood up, wiping the blood off the sword.

“So that happened,” I said, and Zer0 nodded. “Are we going to continue our sparring, or are we done for tonight?”

“I believe we should return to the inn, for this encounter does not bode well for the future. Alternatively, we could also go to the local library to try to find a nearby way into the Underdark.”

“Hmm, let’s go to the library. Mila probably doesn’t want to be interrupted, and I don’t want to sleep tonight. Yes, I am a perfectly functioning member of society, why do you ask?”

“Sounds good. Let’s go.” They immediately started walking back to the town, and I followed them.

“Hey, do you ever get the feeling that we’re all just characters in a great, big story?” I asked them, curious as to their response. They stopped and turned to me, cocking their head to one side.

“Remember, I came from a world that was that. It was designed as a video game, a world wherein the protagonists are controlled by players. I don’t know how it works, as technically it was a dimension rather than an actual game, but it functioned like a game. I followed the same storyline over and over, fought the same enemies countless times, listened to the same people say the exact same things. Of course we’re all just characters, we can only hope that the writer, or artist, or whatever creator is out there doesn’t decide it is in their best interest that we die.”

They continued walking, but I stayed behind, contemplating what they said. I agreed with them, to a degree, though when I talked about a grand writer, I suppose God, if you will, I meant it jokingly. However, Zer0 had given me things to think about, things that would most likely keep me up at night, hoping that my continued existence would please that creator, hoping that they weren’t a vengeful, destructive god, hoping against hope that, in the story they were creating, everything would turn out well.

Eventually, I followed them, and we were able to find their library. It was fairly small, but it had a map of the area. It didn’t specifically mark an entrance to the Underdark, but it did show a couple caves that looked promising, as well as a warning that goblins lurked in the woods. That would’ve been useful earlier that night, but whatever.

“So, we’re going to go here,” I gestured to one of the dark holes, “and if that doesn’t work, I guess we’ll just keep trying the others. Zer0, can you copy this map, or take a picture, or something?”

“Of course,” they said, and tilted their head slightly. After a moment, they raised it, and rolled the map up.

We returned to the inn, where we found Robin, or perhaps Mila, I wasn’t completely sure, sound asleep on one of the beds. I walked over to the worktable, where a faint glow emanated from a small object. As I got close, I realized that it was two small objects, which appeared to fit together. I recognized them, they were the Earthen Chinese yin and yang, one side looking like fire itself, the edges flickering with red light, while the other looked fluid like water, glowing blue. Each one was on a necklace, and as I reached out to take one, I felt a phantom hand guide me to the red one. I picked it up and yelped, for it was very hot, though it cooled down in a moment. I clasped it around my neck, and after a second, Mila slowly flickered into being in front of me, partially opaque and smiling, shades of black and white.

“Hello, Alushtas,” she said, and I smiled at her.

“Hey, Mila. Uh, how are you?” I asked, and she laughed.

“Well,” she spoke, contemplating the question, “I’m dead, so that’s kinda a downer. At least I’m still able to be here with you, which kind of cancels it out. Other than not having a corporeal form, I think I’m doing well.”

I laughed, looking down to the floor, then back at her ethereal face.

“I just wish you could’ve been yourself for longer,” I said, tears threatening to fill my eyes. Mila smiled a sincere smile, one that told me that everything would be okay.

“My dear friend, I did what I had to, and, while I cannot share my reasons, I promise you, they were important. Now, we need to focus on the task at hand. From my knowledge, Robin found the golden gem in the stronghold, yes?”

“Yeah, you’re right. What… what is it, anyway?” I asked, wanting to know more about the mysterious gem and the effect and it had on my friend.

“It… well, to explain, I need to tell you more about the staff. I cannot explain how I know what I do, just understand and accept that I know, and leave it at that. As you have probably guessed by now, the staff was made by the dark elves, for their spider goddess Lolth. It was supposed to help her gain power to spread her chaos further across the realm, across dimensions. With it were created several, I do not know exactly how many, gemstones, keystones to be used to focus and control the power of the staff in different ways. You already know about two, the blue one that can allow the user to shift dimensions, and to a degree control that shift. The yellow one is about power, simply about using it as a powerful staff to help cast spells. The third one we need to find is a pink gem, one used for healing and help, which can mend this rift in the world. Like I said, there are more, but I do not know what they do or where they are.

“However, word of its creation leaked out, and a group of adventurers who knew the evil that such a staff could bring, especially in the hands of the dark elves, went down into the Underdark, down to Menzoberranzan where the final gem had been formed. This intrepid group managed to steal the staff, as well as quite a few of the gems, from right underneath the Matron Mother’s nose. They managed to get to the surface, where they split up, so that no one person could wield the entire power of the staff.

“It is my belief that the mage you stole the staff from had more than one of the stones, as you told me he used it multiple times while you watched and he was evidently able to return without a fuss. It is also possible that he simply knew how to return to the correct dimension without the need for a rip in the world, but I do not think this is the case.

“However, I have neglected to tell you the most important part of this tale. When the dark elves created this staff, 106 years ago, they needed a master, one that could properly control the power of the staff. You see, while it was intended that it would eventually be held by Lolth, they still needed someone else to wield it, an elf that would be bound to it. This would make them much more powerful, and their sacrifice upon the altar of the Spider Queen would give her that power.”

“Wait, wait, wait. Sacrifice? Isn’t that a bit harsh?” Mila turned to me, darkness in her eyes.

“Evidently, you do not know the ways of the drow very well. They deal in darkness, in murder, in plotting in the shadows. They thrive on chaos, and, while there are rules in Menzoberranzan, the Houses are supposed to try to destroy one another utterly in order to become more powerful, so that no drow of the destroyed house could testify against them.

“But let me finish what I was saying. The problem the drow faced was that this champion, this elf, would be chosen randomly, for reasons I do not now know. They also knew that it would be a light elf, for only they had the true power to control the staff. Again, I do not know why that is the case. However, they knew one thing. Much the same way as the gem that was put in the gem would control its power, and a person that was well versed in the gems could determine what powers the staff had at that moment, the elf that was supposed to bring Lolth ultimate power would have hair that would betray their emotions, revealing how they felt even when they tried to hide it themselves.”

My eyes widened as I realized what Mila was saying.

“Wait, are you telling me that-”

“Yes, my friend. On the same day the staff and gems were created, 106 years ago, you were born, the favor of Corellon Larethian, an androgynous elf destined to be used by the dark elves to gain true power.”

*****

**_Matron Mother Baenre listened as the strange being in front of her spoke. She had fallen out of favor with the Spider Queen Lolth after losing the magical Orbb Kuk to those horrible adventurers. She had stayed in power through clever ploys and her tenacity, and wasn’t going to give up an opportunity to retrieve what was rightfully hers. The drow assigned to watch over the elf with the color-changing hair had reported, many decades ago, that the elf had disappeared, and they had not been able to find them again, no matter how hard they searched. However, this creature spoke of such an elf, skilled with both blade and magic, the pride of Corellon Larethian. It said that it had defeated an ally, and was coming down to the Underdark to retrieve the pink gem, the one locked in the securest vault of the First House._ **

**_“Good,” the Matron Mother said, a sinister smile spreading across her face as she reached out to shake the hand of the creature. As their hands met, the blue fire surrounding the being’s hand enveloped them both, burning without heat. After a quick shake, the colors of the world inverted, for a moment, and with a bright flash, the creature disappeared, the only remnant of it an evil laugh echoing through the rooms._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr: @my-gender-is-9-bucks-and-2-d20s

**Author's Note:**

> Tumblr: @my-gender-is-9-bucks-and-2-d20s


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